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CS92PROD
Environmental Policy and Politics
GOVT 374
Spring 2007 not offered

Environmental protection constitutes the most ambitious regulatory commitment in the United States (and most capitalist democracies). It also constitutes one of the most interesting topics for policy and political analysts for several reasons. First the policy is inherently complex. It requires the integration of rapidly evolving bodies of scientific and social scientific research. Second, the policy is inherently expensive. Mitigation and control impose large costs on businesses, creating powerful incentives for mobilization and forcing officials to place a greater emphasis on the costs and benefits of their actions. Third, the policy is increasingly challenged by new problems, both domestic (e.g., the intersection of civil rights and environmental policy) and global (e.g., climate change and sustainable development). Reflecting these factors, environmental protection has been under transition for several decades, as policymakers search for new innovations in policy and institutional design.

This seminar will explore environmental regulation in the United States. In addition to providing a comprehensive overview of core policies, we will explore several topics including: the philosophical foundations of environmentalism; the factors shaping political mobilization in support and in opposition to policy; the difficulties encountered by bureaucratic agencies in managing scientific and social scientific complexity; the efforts to develop innovative approaches to regulation; and the challenges posed by a number of global environmental problems. Although the seminar focuses on environmental protection in the U.S., we will draw on examples of environmental regulation in a number of other nations.

Essential Capabilities: Quantitative Reasoning, Writing
Credit: 1 Gen Ed Area Dept: SBS GOVT
Course Format: SeminarGrading Mode: Graded
Level: UGRD Prerequisites: None
Fulfills a Major Requirement for: None

Last Updated on MAR-29-2024
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